Misplaced
by Katie14
Summary: a non-humor crossover between GWing and Pokemon. Because of an accident Heero ends up in Kanto. Will he be able to find a way back to his world?
1. Default Chapter

Title: Misplaced

Author: Katie

Warnings: Crossover. Slightly AU for both GWing, and Pokemon. Endless Waltz never happened (I just couldn't make it fit). Violence.

Rating: PG-13, rating subject to change.

Pairings: Ash/Misy

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Gundam Wing. Pokemon and its respective characters are a copyright of Nintendo, Game Freak, and 4-Kids 

Entertainment. Gundam Wing and its respective characters is a copyright of 

Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, and BANDAI. 

Archive: You want it? Take it. Just email me to let me know first, and give me credit.

A week had passed. A week since he had ended up in this strangely peaceful world. A week since he had gone to J's lab to destroy the remaining equipment. A week since he had decided to destroy his own gun and other weapons along with the lab. And a week since he had failed to do that, or had mostly failed. He was sure that the lab was in ruins, his own weapons, however, were intact. Not that they were really needed in this strange new world he was in. Those weapons seemed even less needed here than they were in his own world after the war. Still, he had not gotten rid of them. He couldn't now, not when he was so…misplaced. 

Heero stopped for a moment, eyes scanning the area around him, unconsciously looking for enemies, while determining were he was. He was on a path in the sparsely lit woods, heading for the city that they were named after, Viridian. His eyes met with trees, and dense undergrowth, both adding to the cool atmosphere of the woods. The occasional…pokemon …running across the path, or flitting from tree to tree. Deciding that he was still heading south, and had not wandered onto one of the many side-paths, Heero continued on. 

He had arrived in this…place directly outside of a town called Pewter. There, he had learned bits and pieces about this new world which he was in. He had learned that this world had not had a war for over one hundred years, that the people here were friendly, helpful, and could be trusted. Not that he ever would. That _anyone_ could be a potential enemy was too deeply ingrained into his very being. Still, Heero asked discreet questions, and listened in on conversations. Not only did he learn that people in this world seemed kind, but also that their livelihoods, indeed, their very economy revolved around the animals, the pokemon that also inhabited this world. 

The pokemon. The very concept of animals that could breath fire, ice, or do any multitude of other things was more than a little strange to Heero. In fact it was probably more foreign to him than it would have been to someone else, as fairytales about magical creatures like dragons and unicorns had not been a part of his upbringing. Of course, fairytales of any kind had not been a part of his upbringing. Still, he had been trained to adjust quickly to new situations, changes that occur within and around battle. That same training also extended outside of battle, and he had adjusted. In fact, he had come to appreciate the creatures, as it seemed that it was because of the peoples' focus on them, that they had no desire to conquer each other. Still, he was Heero, and thus he didn't believe that this utopia-like world was truly as peaceful as it seemed. 

He found that he was right, when he had heard murmurs of Team Rocket. From what he had heard, they stole pokemon. Also, from what he had heard, he felt that Team Rocket was after far more than pokemon. The organization seemed too widespread and too well organized to be a simple gang of thieves. No, Heero was sure that they had bigger plans. Plans that centered around the want of power. It was just too bad that the majority of the decidedly few people he had met thought that they were, indeed, nothing more than a simple gang of thieves. Still, he had gotten the idea that that was how Team Rocket was generally viewed. 

As he continued down the path, Heero shook is head causing his dark bangs to flutter gently. He really hadn't heard enough about Team Rocket to make that kind of judgement yet. That was one of the reasons why he was heading to Viridian. That, and Viridian was a larger town, making it easier to blend in, and gather information and supplies. Information on Team Rocket was secondary, however, to the information that he was truly looking for: information about the technology of this world, and scientists with theories of inter-dimensional travel. 

It was a theory that he knew little about, but he knew that it was possible. He was walking through the proof of it. Dr. J's lab had contained a machine that, theoretically, could create miniature black holes. J had been working on it to try and develop a new type of power source. Heero had been sure that the old man had never quite gotten it to work. Still, he had removed some of the key components from the machine before he had set explosives to the lab to be safe. Somehow though, it had activated while Heero had been applying the finishing touches to the explosives. 

The cause of its activation could have been any number of things, but a power surge seemed most likely. The colony had been experiencing quite a few of those recently. It didn't really matter how it had activated though. No, it was what happened after it activated that was important. Even though some of the machine's main component's had been removed, a small black hole had formed. The containment unit for the black hole had been damaged prior to Heero's arrival, and obviously the black hole 'got loose'. Immediately papers, equipment, circuit boards -- anything not bolted down -- was pulled into it. As he had struggled against its immense pull, trying to shut down the machine, the only thing allowing it to exist, the small ball of tightly packed density collided with an antimatter generator. A moment later, Heero had been able to shut down the machine. He was a few moments too late, however. When the miniature black hole had collided with the antimatter generator, something…new…had formed. 

Where there had been a small black ball of emptiness, there was now a rather large yellow sphere. It glowed; softly illuminating the rows of equipment, most in some state of disrepair, all covered in a thin layer of dust. However, it had not lost its pull. In fact, the pull had become stronger, and Heero had found himself being dragged in. That hadn't stopped him from pressing the detonator though. As he was dragged into the glowing yellow ball, the lab exploded around him.

When he had emerged on the other side, he rolled out of the way of the flames that he instinctively knew would follow him. Follow him they did, a continuous stream scorched the ground black a mere three feet from where he was. It did not last long however, for the glowing blue ball of energy abruptly fell in on itself, disappearing entirely and cutting off the flame. As Heero stood up, looking around the area he was in, his mind automatically went over the numerous things that were wrong. First, he was on Earth, whereas before he had been inside a space colony. Next, as he went though the details of what had happened, he realized that the ball, that had been yellow on the colony, was blue here. Also, where the yellow ball had sucked things in, the blue ball had blown things out. Among all of the scrap from the lab that had been scattered was a backpack, the backpack that he had used to temporarily store his weapons, as well as a few other supplies. Putting it on, Heero had then headed off in the direction of a town that he could see in the distance. It wasn't until he had arrived at that town, that Heero found out that he was no longer on _his_ Earth. 

As he continued down the path, with these thoughts running through his mind, part of him constantly was looking and listening for danger. It wasn't anything that he did consciously, and it was something he would never be able to undo, but it was useful. The sound of foot steps ahead of him, moving towards him, had him off of the path, and hidden in the forest in an instant. Silently berating himself for his paranoia, Heero waited for the person to pass him. Soon, a young girl came by. She looked no older than twelve or thirteen, and was wearing genes and a purple blouse. She had short black hair and she an open green jacket over her shoulders, as well as a backpack. At her side walked a Pokemon. It was purple with a long purple horn on its head, purple spikes down its back, and large purple ears. Both the backpack and the pokemon identified her as a trainer. Heero stayed hidden, not really wanting to be mistaken for a trainer again (it had happened twice before because of his backpack), and because at the moment he really didn't feel like talking. Still, that didn't stop him from listening as the girl talked to her pokemon.

"I can't believe that we're on our way to Pewter Gym! I just wish that the gym in Viridian wasn't closed. Oh well, we can always find another gym, right Nidorino?" asked the girl.

Nodding enthusiastically the pokemon responded, "Nido nidori rino."

Sighing the girl asked yet another question, "This is going to be our fourth badge. We can win this right?"

"Rino, ri ri dor nido!!!" was the response.

"That is the spirit, how long do…" the girl's voice faded as she moved up the path and out of hearing range. 

Heero waited for the other two people that he could hear to pass. Soon enough two men appeared. They were wearing black clothing with large red R's on their chests. They were trying to be quiet, and making it more than obvious that they were trying to sneak up on the girl that had just walked by. Both signified to Heero, who had only been in this world for a week, that they were members of Team Rocket. He waited, muscles tensed, until they were abreast of his hiding spot. Leaping forward, moving impossibly fast, he almost casually knocked both of the Rockets out. They never even saw what hit them. Grunting slightly, he dragged them both into the underbrush. Doing a quick search he relieved them of one gun each, several clips of ammo, four pokeballs, and around $500. Leaving the pokeballs with the Rockets, he stowed the rest of the items in his backpack. People that incompetent shouldn't have guns, and Heero wasn't bothered with stealing money from thieves. He had done far worse things in his short life. Besides, his rather significant lack of funds was now no longer an issue. Checking the pulses and pupil's of their eyes, Heero determined that the Rockets would be out for at least three hours. Plenty of time for that girl to get away, even if she hadn't known that she was in danger. Satisfied, Heero moved back to the path and continued his journey towards Viridian. 

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

At age 15, Ash Ketchum was still as exuberant as ever, becoming excited over the smallest of things. At the moment his excitement was due to his mother serving chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. As usual his excitement was the cause of both amusement and annoyance in his three best friends, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock. Simultaneously, the three decided on amused, and conversation started up at the table. 

"Could you pass that syrup over here please?" asked Misty. Misty had matured over the years, she was no longer quite as scrawny looking. Her fiery red hair was longer, but still kept back in a ponytail. She was taller also, but to her frustration, she was now the shortest one in the group. She was at least half a head shorter than Ash, who, after a few growth spurts, was now nearly six feet in height. Her temper was still intact and as violent as ever, but she had it under better control, or so she claimed. Her love of water pokemon was as strong as it ever was, and it was partly for that reason that she had begun to take up some responsibilities of her family's gym in Cerulean. In fact, the four of them were planing to head there the next day. 

"These pancakes are great Mrs. Ketchum!" This complement came from Brock. The rock trainer was still the tallest of the group, and was still the mediator. He didn't mind though, he found keeping Ash and Misty from trying to kill each other amusing. However, he had found himself playing mediator less often, and was beginning to believe Misty's claim of having better control of her temper. That was fine with him though, as this made traveling more pleasant. Recently for Brock though, the most excitement came from his plans for a rather unconventional breeding center that would be located near his hometown of Pewter. Even more excitingly for Brock, a Nurse Joy from Celadon had agreed to help him. There was no romance involved yet, but for once, Brock was willing to take it slow. 

"That's because my Mom is the best cook in the world!" exclaimed Ash proudly. Even though he was still excitable, for the most part he was now able to keep a calm head when necessary. His goal to be a pokemon master had yet to fulfill itself, but that just made him more determined. He had come in fourth this year at the Indigo League, and third in Johto. He no longer became upset when he lost in the league, and was always more determined to do better the next year. And he did just that. Each time he competed in a league, his rank rose. Needless to say, he had become an even more extraordinary trainer, and was beginning to earn the notice of those who ran the leagues. 

"Pika ka pikachu, pik Pikapi?" [It's as good as Brock's, right Ash?] asked Pikachu. Pikachu was still the same, not wanting to evolve, and not really needing to. The last time Professor Oak had tried to test his level, Pikachu had ended up completely destroying all of the equipment used to measure electrical output. Well, Oak _had_ asked Pikachu to use a full strength Thunder attack, so it really wasn't Pikachu's fault. Professor Oak hadn't been angry, only frustrated, and had declared Pikachu's level 'undeterminable'. 

"You bet, Pikachu," was all Ash took the time to say, before digging back into his breakfast.

Delighted at the praise, Delia Ketchum murmured a "Thank you" as she sat down at the table with her son and his friends. Mrs. Ketchum hadn't changed much over the years. She was still an energetic and happy woman who loved to garden. It was a pastime that she never tired of, and she focused most of her time on it since Mr. Mime did the majority of the housework. It was a deal that worked out well, since she wouldn't be able to stop Mimey if she wanted to. What made her happiest though, was that for the past three or so years, her son had been spending more time at home.

It was true. After the first time Ash had competed in the Johto league championships he immediately started looking for another league to train in. He had found several. However these leagues presented two problems. The first was that a person had to have, at least once, been in the top ten in either the Indigo or Johto leagues. At the time that in itself was a problem as he had been in the top sixteen in the Indigo League, and the top eleven in Johto. Still, he could have entered the next year when he had reached the top ten in both, had it not been for the second problem. That problem was the requirement that one had to be at least eighteen years of age in order to compete. 

After the frustration that that rule had caused had died down, Ash and his friends (both of whom were beginning to have obligations at or near home) had come up with a plan. They decided to keep traveling together, but instead of roaming across the county, they would move between Pallet, Cerulean, and Pewter, staying in each town for several months. This plan couldn't have worked out better for them. After so many years of constant traveling, staying in one place for more than a few months seemed unnatural to them. 

It was also a vital part to Brock's breeding center plans, which had been inspired by Togepi, now Togetic. Brock had noticed that the togepi was more socialized, intelligent, and learned faster than most breeding center pokemon. He hypothesized that it was due to all of the traveling and interaction with many different people and pokemon. With this in mind, he had found a partner, Nurse Joy, to run the stationary part of the center while he took several of the babies (with mothers and/or fathers of course) on trips that would last several months. Then he would return to the center and pick up a new group to start the process over. None of this had happened yet, but they were getting close. 

This arraignment of circular travel also worked well for Misty. It allowed her to spend time at her family's gym, helping out and often improving things, but it also allowed her to get away from her sisters when they became too much for her. 

Lastly, it was great for Ash. The traveling kept both him and his pokemon in shape. There were lots of people to challenge in the area, helping to improve both his and his pokemon's battle skills.

Surprisingly enough, Gary Oak would occasionally join the trio. He and Ash had one day decided to forget the enmity they had for each other, if not their rivalry. It was obvious that they would always be rivals, but at least now they were friendly ones. The chance of one winning in a battle against the other was about fifty-fifty, unless Ash used Pikachu. The electric mouse was now near unbeatable. Needless to say, that although the groups range of wandering had decreased, they still experienced plenty of excitement.

Finished eating, Ash looked at Misty and Brock. "So, what time do you think we should leave tomorrow?"

After thinking for a minute, Brock answered, "Well, I was planing to reach Viridian by the afternoon. I need to pick up some supplies. That means that we'll have to leave here around eight or nine."

"I agree with Brock. He isn't the only one who wants to get some shopping done!" Piped in Misty.

Surprising a groan about the early wake up call and shopping with Misty, Ash managed to answer, "Ok, but you're going to have to wake me and Pikachu up, just remember that."

Moving to his trainer's shoulder in a show of support, Pikachu nodded grimly adding a, "Pi pikachu." [That's right]. for emphasis.

"You've gotten as bad as Ash when it comes to waking up. It is wonder that both of you aren't asleep right now," stated Misty shaking her finger at them in mock annoyance. 

Rolling his eyes, Brock decided to intervene, although it wasn't really necessary. "All right you three, that's enough. Why don't we all head over to Professor Oak's lab. You do still wanna pick up Togetic today, don't you Misty?"

Misty snorted. "Of course. If we're all set, then why don't we leave now?"

"Sounds good to me," agreed Ash.

"Pika pika." [Me too] said Pikachu before leaping off of Ash's shoulder and rushing through the kitchen and living room, dodging under and around furniture only to have to wait at the door.

Laughing at the little pokemon's antics, the trio got up, and thanked Mrs. Ketchum for the wonderful breakfast before saying good bye. 

The walk to Professor Oak's lab was short, but that didn't stop the group from enjoying the beautiful day. The sun was bright, making the green grass and trees seem to almost glow. A gently breeze stirred the warm air. It was the type of day that makes one feel energized and alive. No one in the group was an exception. Pikachu would race ahead, and then race back to circle the group before running ahead again. Ash was practically bouncing with energy, and Misty found herself skipping half the time. As Brock walked he seemed half-ready to follow either Misty's or Ash's example and ended up doing something halfway between a bounce and a skip. Needless to say, everyone was in a very good mood, and just a little hyper when they reached the professor's front door.

Pikachu jumped back up onto his accustomed perch on Ash's shoulder just as his trainer reached up to knock on the door. After a short wait the door was opened to reveal Tracey, who seemed in as good a mood as the rest of them. 

Tracey waved hello as he spoke. "Hi guys! Come in. How are you all doing?"

"We are doing great!" exclaimed Ash as they walked into the lab. Pikachu 'piiied' his agreement. 

"We are," agreed Misty, Brock echoing her. 

As they followed Tracey deeper into the lab, Brock asked, "How are you doing Tracey? Anything interesting going on around here?"

"I'm fine. There are a million interesting things going on in the lab. For instance right now the professor and I are working to see if pidgey migration is affected at all by the large electrical fields put out by some power plants." stated Tracey who then went on to explain about electric and magnetic fields, most of which went the trio's heads. Lucky Tracey's physics lecture was put on hold as they arrived at the area of the lab that held Professor Oak and Togetic. 

Looking up from his work as Togetic flew into Misty's arms, Professor Oak greeted them. "Hello Ash. Pikachu. Misty. Brock." He nodded his head at each as he said their name. "How are all of you doing this lovely morning?"

As she fussed over Togetic, Misty answered, "We're all fine Professor. How was Togetic? She didn't cause you any problems, did she?"

"No, not at all. She was very cooperative. Thank you for letting me have her for the day, I know you miss her when she's gone." Said the Professor with a smile.

"I do, but that's ok. I'm glad that Togetic was able to help you," replied Misty.

"What did you need Togetic for anyway Professor?" asked Ash as he scratched Pikachu under the chin.

"Yeah, I'm curious too," stated Brock.

"Me too, when you tried to explain it before, something came up and you left before you could say anything," reminded Misty.

"Ah, yes. Sorry about that. Some information about the electric fields around one of the power plants had just come in, and I wanted to take a look at it right away. Anyway, the reason why I wanted to look at Togetic is quite simple. You see, I had noticed that while pokemon in the Kanto region all have attack capabilities or both attack and defensive capabilities, some pokemon in the Johto region have only defensive capabilities."

Ash, Misty and Brock nodded their understanding, and the professor continued.

"Well, as you know, I haven't had many chances to study pokemon from Johto. Togetic provided me with an opportunity to study a pokemon with only defensive type moves. Well, if you don't count metronome anyway. That's about it really. Once again, thank you for letting me borrow Togetic."

Soon, the conversation turned to old times and it wasn't long before Professor Oak invited the three to spend the day in the large outdoor part of the lab. He also gave Tracey the day off to join them stating that it was too nice of a day outside for young people to be indoors. His invitation was accepted enthusiastically, and Misty, Brock, and Ash with Pikachu still on his shoulder promptly left to pack their bags. They figured that they would to tired to do so when they got back that night. It didn't take long and soon all five of them were in the huge area outside of the lab, with all of their pokemon lose, both playing and training for the rest of the day. 

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A/N: Well, there it is. My first fanfic ever posted! I am sorry to say that I don't know if the other pilots are going to show up. It is a possibility, but at the moment it is highly unlikely. Please review!!! 


	2. Meatings

Title: Misplaced

Author: Katie

Warnings: Crossover. Slightly AU for both GWing, and Pokemon. Endless Waltz never happened (I just couldn't make it fit). Spoilers for Episode Zero and EW (even though it never happened) Violence

Rating: PG-13, rating subject to change

Pairings: Ash/Misty

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Gundam Wing. Pokemon and its respective characters are a copyright of Nintendo, Game Freak, and 4-Kids Entertainment. Gundam Wing and its respective characters is a copyright of Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, and BANDAI.

Archive: You want it? Take it. Just email me to let me know first, and give me credit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After having spent the night in Viridian Forest, Heero arrived outside of Viridian City. It was still early in the morning, the light from the sun dim, and the shadows long. There were a number of people out and about going to work or just heading home, but nowhere near the number that there would be in just a few hours. Entering unnoticed was easy enough, as there were always trainers coming and going from the city. Being mistaken for a trainer, Heero decided, _was_ a good cover, even if was at times…inconvenient. Still, Heero kept his pace slow and his stance casual, unconsciously doing anything to avoid notice.

As he walked though the streets, mapping out the lay of the city with part of his mind, and watching for enemies with another part; Heero looked for a place to stay for a couple of days and a library. He noted that the city was the type with few buildings over five stories tall, and all made to look built from polished stone. The streets were clean and would be well lit at night. It seemed like a cleaner, less congested version of some of the cities in Europe. Still, some of the alleys were narrow and dark, and more than one smelled of old garbage. That was to be expected though, no place was perfect, and it didn't bother Heero in the least. He traveled through the alleys with as little hesitation as he did the streets. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The alley was damp, littered with old boxes and other refuse, and of course smelled strongly of old garbage. It was also vary narrow and dark even during midday. These features caused humans and even pokemon to avoid it, and it was these features that made it attractive to its current occupant. The houndour huddled behind a stack of filthy boxes, all of which were falling apart, the sides sagging and torn. The houndour wasn't in much better condition. Its ribs stood out starkly though its dull coat which itself was covered in grease and other less pleasant substances. 

It didn't have to be like this; the houndour could have gone into the forest outside of the city and found food with relative ease. It never had for two reasons. One, it was captive born. It had never seen a tree much less a forest before it had…escaped. It was afraid to enter a place so outside of its experience. However, fear wasn't the only force holding it back. Even though it had never been in the wild, it still had the instincts to be able to have survived. No, it was because of the other reason that the houndour had let fear hold it back. It was the unexplained desire that most pokemon had to have a trainer. It was that desire which caused wild pokemon to let themselves be found by trainers when it would be more than easy to avoid them. It was that desire that kept the houndour in a city where there were many people to choose from. Yet the houndour could not bring itself to approach any of them. It had escaped from a place were the humans had _hurt_ it, and it could not bring itself to trust them. Its distrust for humans warred with its desire for a trainer, and so it waited in the alley. It waited for a human different from the others, different in a way it didn't understand. 

It wasn't sound, but movement that caught the houndour's attention. Someone was walking though its alley, and not making any noise despite all of the garbage littering the ground. More surprising, it was a human. The houndour hadn't thought a rattata could walk though that alley without making _some_ noise. The human continued on to the end of the alley and left it without showing any sign of noticing its occupant. 

The houndour found itself scrambling painfully to its feet and following the human out into the street before it realized what it was doing. Once it did, it slowed down until it kept pace about a block behind the human. It ducked into alleys and into doorways whenever the human turned a corner or any other time the houndour might have been spotted. It didn't know why it was following this human, except perhaps that it had something to do with the smell. This human smelled different from any other in the houndour's experience. He smelled…deadly, and that alone should have kept the houndour safely in its alley. Yet the houndour kept following, perhaps because of the other scents. There was a smell of determination, as if the human would try to walk through a wall and expect to succeed, and distance, like he held himself away from humanity. There was no smell of fear (not even in the alley where most would be somewhat afraid), almost as if he was unconcerned with something as insignificant as his own death. Somehow he also smelled empty… it was as if this human was missing something vital, something important; yet there was something more, a kindness which was muted so much by the others that he would have not said he smelled it all…but it _was_ there.

The houndour followed when by all reason he should have stayed in the alley. It still followed when by all reason it should have turned back. Yet it did not stop following, not really knowing why, except that some instinct drove it to follow. It continued to follow block after endless block, until it ducked into an alley to avoid notice one more time. Its legs gave out and its weakened body collapsed heavily to the ground. It desperately tried to get to its feet, if it didn't it would lose the human, but its starved and exhausted body would not move. Instead the houndour was forced to lie there, panting heavily, at the end of its endurance. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero had noticed immediately when something had started to follow him. It had started right after he had left one alley about two and a half -hours back. Whatever it was had to have been in that alley and he berated himself for not noticing it there. Not noticing meant death…or worse. Still, he did not try to lose it. Whatever it was, it was not human, nor did it seam hostile. Instead he tried to see what it was when he turned corners. He could only catch glimpses that way, and those didn't tell him much. Finally Heero got a look at it by means of a reflection from the rear window of a parked car. As he expected it was a pokemon, one that looked like dog. 

Deciding to, not ignore it, but to let it be, Heero continued to walk the streets and alleys of Viridian, mapping their layout in his mind. A half-hour latter, Heero noticed that the pokemon was no longer a block behind him. Heero went six more blocks and stopped. He leaned against the side of a building that gave him a good view of the area around him and began to think. The pokemon still was no longer following him. Not that that mattered, what was important was that he had seen at least six motels where he could stay. Funny, but that pokemon didn't seem like it was going to stop following him anytime soon. Frowning he put his thoughts where they should be. He had seen at least two libraries and a multitude of stores that would provide him with supplies. There was a large and well-funded looking police station, with surprisingly competent looking officers. He would have to be careful about what actions he took. He had also noted that the two buildings of most significance to the inhabitants of the city were the gym, which was closed, and the Pokemon Center. That pokemon did look as if it needed some medical attention. With a mental shrug of his shoulders, Heero began to walk back the way he had come. 

It didn't take him long to find the pokemon that had been following him. It was lying on its side in a mouth of an alley, panting. When it saw him approaching it laid its ears back and drew up its lips in a silent snarl. Heero ignored both. For one thing, although it was snarling it didn't lift its head up or move in any other way. It was fairly obvious that it couldn't. Heero quickly visually assessed its condition. It had what looked at first like exposed blue tinted bone on its head, back and above its paws, but a closer look showed that that was natural, not injury. The pads of all four paws were sliced and bleeding. It was extremely malnourished and probably dehydrated. Its gums were white, definitely a bad sign. He figured that if it didn't get medical treatment it would die within two hours. It might have lasted two or so more days if it hadn't followed him. If he didn't take it to the Pokemon Center it would die, but doing so would attract attention, the streets were busier now. Heero turned and walked away and got maybe ten steps before a picture, a memory, flashed in his mind. A memory of two innocents murdered, one small grave of rubble, and a flower. He stood absolutely still for a moment at war with himself, and then went back, effortlessly lifted up the pokemon, and headed off in the direction of the Pokemon Center. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The houndour tried to struggle when the human it had been following came back and picked it up. It stopped almost before it had started though. It was far too week to break free, and furthermore, it didn't think that it could even if it was at full strength. The human's arms were like bands of steel, strong enough to break it in half. That was surprising, they didn't look that way. Still, those arms that held the houndour were incredibly gentle, giving only support and security, seeming to do everything possible not to harm. Oddly the human seemed (and smelled) completely unaware of this. He smelled calm and focused. He walked at a brisk pace but didn't seem to be rushing and kept his eyes strait ahead. He did not look once at houndour.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nurse Joy sat behind her desk at the pokemon center. It was ten am, her favorite time of the morning. There were just a few trainers in the lobby, all of them getting ready to leave, most of the others were either eating in the cafe or had left. A very few were still sleeping in their rooms. It was the perfect time for her to sit back with her coffee, relax and watch the morning news. Emergencies almost never came in this time of day. They either came in much earlier, or an hour or two latter. Needless to say she was mildly miffed when a trainer came in carrying a pokemon in his arms. That changed to outright anger when she took in the condition of the pokemon.

Frowning she got up and called, "Chansey get a stretcher in here sized for a houndour stat!" Her frown increasing she turned to the boy. "How dare you do this to your pokemon! This is one of the worst cases of…"

"I found it." The boy's quiet words actually managed to cut Nurse Joy off mid-tirade. 

She blinked; _no_ one had _ever_ been able to do that before. "Well…I see." Turning to see Chansey who had just arrived with a stretcher Nurse Joy began to issue her orders. "Ok you, put that houndour on the stretcher. Good. Chansey this pokemon needs to go to the emergency unit." With that she started to follow Chansey into the back, but before she entered the doors, she whipped around and pointed her finger at the boy. "You! You wait right here until I come back. You understand." Not waiting for a reply she marched off after Chansey. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero starred at the doors through which the nurse had gone, and then went and sat down on one of the sofas in the lobby, placing his backpack in front of his feet. He wasn't on a time frame, and he was uncertain if the nurse would be able to track him down using an image from one of the security cameras. That she would try if he left, he had no doubt.

A quick scan of the Center showed multiple sofas, some in rows, others in lose semicircles. There was a hallway a short distance from the front desk with a sign above it reading "Trainer rooms". It looked like he had found a possible place to stay. There was also a doorway with a cafeteria sign above it off to the right. Most importantly, however, there was a large cluster of computer terminals near the far wall. Heero immediately got up and went over to them. Choosing one where he could watch most of the lobby, he sat down and got to work. 

On the terminal he logged onto the Internet and performed a search on programming codes. One of the more frustrating things that he had discovered while in Pewter was that the coding used in this world differed enough from the coding used in his own that his own laptop could not communicate with the computers here. Heero would have taken care of this problem then and there except for the lack of public terminals. Oh, Pewter did have a few. There were five in the Pewter Public Library, but library policy only allowed for one-hour access a day per person. There was also one in the Pokemon Center, however, since there was only _one_, the center had the same policy as the library. His short time spent on the library computer was when he had discovered the coding problem. Now that he had unlimited access time Heero set about absorbing every bit of programming code ever created in this world. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Misty smiled and stretched her arms above her head. It was only a little after Noon and they were in sight of Viridian. Brock and herself, with the help of Ms. Ketchum, Togetic, and Mimey had actually been able to get Ash and Pikachu up at a reasonable time. Not that either was grateful about that at the time. Then again, she mussed, being literally thrown out of bed and then into the bathroom would make anyone a little cranky. Of course Ash and Pikachu didn't stay mad for long. In typical fashion they both promptly forgot their rude awakening at sight of breakfast. 

Currently, Ash was on one side of her with Pikachu on his shoulder, and Brock was on her other side. Togetic fluttered above their heads on a gentle breeze. They had been walking in companionable silence for the last hour or so, enjoying the day, which was as beautiful as the one before. The weather was warm, but not hot and the breeze was cool. Perfect weather for traveling. 

"Alright! Now we can stop for lunch! I'm starved," exclaimed Ash, breaking the temporary stillness of the moment. "Where are we going to have lunch?"

Misty sniffed faking annoyance, "Where else, the Pokemon Center."

"That's right," agreed Brock, "that's where we always go. No place to get a meal cheaper."

"That's right," Stated Ash, "and that's just why I don't wanna go. I am tired of always eating the same stuff again and again." 

Brock rolled his eyes, and then presented Ash with a question. "Ok Ash, if we aren't going to eat at the Pokemon Center, then were should we go?"

"Ummmm," considered Ash while rubbing his chin in thought, "how 'bout a pizza place?"

"Ha!" Exclaimed Misty while waving her finger at Ash. "The Center's got the best pizza in town, and it is way cheaper than the rest of those places."

"Ok, yeah, that's true I guess." Once again Ash thought for a moment. "How 'bout seafood?"

This time Brock laughed. "And who's got the money for that? Besides the Pokemon Center has some pretty good fish dishes."

"Pasta?"

"Better and cheaper at the center."

"Burgers?"

"**_Much_** better at the center, _and_ bigger portions."

"Ummmmm, ah," Ash was quickly running out of ideas so he turned to the one being he could count on no mater how hard the task, no matter what the odds. "What do you think Pikachu?"

"Pik pikachu pi kachup," [I don't care as long as there's ketchup]. Replied the one who could be counted on no matter what, nodding enthusiastically from his place on Ash's shoulder. 

Ash slumped in defeat. "Ok, ok! You win." Then he smirked and took off running turning back slightly to call over his shoulder, "Last one there has to pay the bill!"

Misty and Brock stood frozen for half a second staring after Ash. Togetic fluttered down to land on Misty's shoulder. Misty looked at Brock. Brock looked at Misty. Then they both looked at Togetic. Simultaneously they shouted "After him" or "To toget" which means the same thing, and took off after Ash and Pikachu at full speed; Togetic launching off Misty's shoulder and streaming out in front of them. 

With the bill on the line it didn't take long for the five of them to reach the Viridian City Pokemon Center. Ash's head start and long legs almost won him the race but shortly after reaching the city limit he became mired in the hundreds of people going about their daily lives. Brock, with his even longer legs would have won if not for the same reason. Misty's slightly smaller size allowed her to move through the crowded streets more easily and she reached the center second, Togetic's ability to fly allowed her to bypass the crowds entirely, where she waited outside the doors for the boys. Ash, Pikachu and Brock arrived shortly afterwards at almost the exact same time. After a short debate it was decided that Ash and Brock would split the bill, and the group entered the Center.

The Center, as expected, was mildly crowded at this time of day. There were people and pokemon lounging on couches, waiting in line at the front desk, and generally wandering about everywhere. There were surprisingly few people at the computer terminals, but the five were too hungry to really notice and went strait to the Center's cafeteria. After a little searching they found a table for three and sat down. It didn't take them long to decide what they wanted, and despite the crowd service was fast. That wasn't surprising though, the Center's cafeteria was designed to handle far larger crowds than the current one.

Lunch was a long leisurely affair consisting of good food and idle chattering. They talked about what they needed to get and where to get it. This of course led to what they really wanted but couldn't afford, which led to other things. Of course Pikachu and Togetic had a lot of input on what the trainers needed to buy, most of which consisted of their favorite treats or toys. All in all, they had a very enjoyable and very long lunch. By the time they had paid the bill most of the lunch crowd had left.

Getting up Ash stretched. "Ok I admit it. Pokemon Centers have the best food."

"Pi ka!" [You bet], agreed Pikachu licking the last of the ketchup off his lips before he scampered up onto Ash's head.

"Well then, next time we won't have to argue over it will we," replied Misty as she and Brock followed Ash's example and left the table. 

"Getic tog togetic," [Of course we won't] stated Togetic as she fluttered up and took her place on Misty's shoulder.

Brock couldn't help it, he rolled his eyes. "_Sure_ we won't. Come on guys, we still have to stop at the front desk so Nurse Joy can give our pokemon a check up."

It was a good habit that they had gotten into. No matter the length of time between, whenever they stopped at a Pokemon Center they always gave their pokemon to Nurse Joy to check up on. It kept there pokemon healthy and caught things before they became problems. 

Leaving the cafeteria and entering the lobby the five stepped into the line by the front desk. The last of the lunch crowd seemed to have gotten there before them so they had to wait a few minutes. They spent the time idly looking around the lobby and talking. After a little while, they noticed something mildly…odd. The group of them had spent enough time in Pokemon Centers that they knew how they ebbed and flowed and how people generally went about their business in them. At first glance things looked normal. There were trainers and pokemon lounging on the couches, entering and leaving the trainer rooms and the cafeteria, talking on the phone, or browsing the web at the computer terminals. Except…there were surprising few people on the computers and all of them were as far away as they could get from a boy with ruffled dark brown hair in a lose green tank top and blue jeans. A boy who just happened to be typing on both a laptop _and_ the desktop in front of him. Since that was the most interesting thing going on, the five friends continued to watch the strange scene.

It was strange. Anyone who approached too closely suddenly seamed to find a reason to be elsewhere. Even stranger, the boy did nothing visible to cause this behavior. In fact, he seamed oblivious to everything around him.

Ash motioned Misty and Brock closer so he could whisper. "Do you think he smells bad?"

"That could be it, but I don't know," Misty whispered back.

"Pik pikachu pi kapi ka ka pikachu pika," [I have a good nose, and he doesn't smell bad at all to me], informed Pikachu also in a whisper.

"Tog togetic," [Me neither], agreed Togetic.

"Then why…?" Ash could not come up with a word for the strange behavior and simply gestured at the scene. Their whispered conversation halted for a moment as the line moved forward but started up again as soon as they stopped.

"I can't be certain, but take a good look at that kid. Does he look like the kind of person that you would just walk up and say hi to?" Quietly asked Brock.

With that in mind the others took the time to really study the boy. There really wasn't anything all that significant about him. From what they could see he wasn't very dangerous looking, actually he looked on the thin side…but now that they were really looking there was something about him that just about screamed "stay away". They concluded that it must become more obvious the closer one got to the boy. Still, it made no sense. None at all. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, their pondering was stopped as the line moved forward once again, and they found themselves at the front desk.

"Hello!" Greeted Nurse Joy. "What can I do for you?"

"What? Oh!" Startled out of his study Ash took a second to gather his thoughts. "Could you please give my pokemon a check up?" He then removed his pokeballs from his belt and handed them over to Nurse Joy who put them in a tray. Pikachu hoped onto the counter.

"Mine too please!" Asked Misty doing the same. Togetic fluttered down next to Pikachu.

"It would be an honor for such a beautiful lady as yourself to look over my pokemon," stated Brock with a bow as he handed over his pokeballs. He couldn't help it; he would most likely always be an outrageous flirt. He at least didn't propose and or cling to every pretty lady he met anymore.

Nurse Joy smiled; she was well acquainted with these three trainers. "Of course. It will take just a minute, and for you three I will do it for free." She winked at them and then walked over to a machine and placed the pokeballs into it. As it scanned the balls and diagnosed their contents Nurse Joy manually checked out Pikachu and Togetic. After she was done she moved over to the machine, looked at the readout, and pushed a few buttons. A few minutes latter she took the balls out of the machine and handed them over to their respective trainers. "Well, all of your pokemon are in excellent condition. I am glad that you three take such good care of them. Of course I would be surprised if you didn't."

"You know us," replied Ash, "We would do anything for out pokemon!" He smiled at Pikachu and scratched his ears fondly.

"I know. That's one of the reasons why you three are some of my favorite trainers," said Nurse Joy fondly.

"Really?" asked Ash surprised.

"Really," smiled Joy. Then she sighed. "I am sorry but I have to go check on a case that came in this morning. You three have fun ok?"

"Do you need any help?" asked the pairs of lips.

"Thank you, really, but no. I have everything I need right here. It's just that the pokemon was in really bad condition when it first came in. Even worse than your pikachu was Ash," explained Joy.

"Is it going to be ok?" Asked Misty tentatively. The same question was written all over Ash's, Brock's, Pikachu's, and Togetic's faces.

Once again Nurse Joy smiled. "Yes. It is going to pull through. It just needs a little time. Still, I really need to go check on it, so I will see you guys latter." With that Joy disappeared into the back room. 

Brock glanced at his watch before turning to the others. "We had better get going or else we will never finish with our shopping today. We have a lot to do."

"Well what time is it?" asked Misty. Then she glanced at her own watch. "It's 2:30!!! Oh my gosh, I had no idea it was so late! Come on! Come on! We have to get started!" 

With that she took off out of the center at a dead run. The others looked at each other for a second before taking off after her; it wouldn't do to lose her in the crowded streets. They would never here the end of it if the lost her. The mild oddity at the computer terminals was completely forgotten.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The rapid typing ceased suddenly as Heero checked over his work. He could find no errors in the program he had just written. It was time to see if it worked. Removing a cord from his backpack, he attached one end to his laptop and the other to the Internet access port. He then logged on to the Internet. His laptop was successfully communicating with other computers. One problem solved. It was time to move on to the next one. With that in mind he began to do some serious hacking.

To any observer it would seem as if Heero was oblivious to what was going on around him. That was far from the truth. As he worked Heero kept an eye on everything that was happening around him. It was habit, and he did it without thought. While most of his mind was occupied with the government files he was hacking into, part of it considered the behavior of the people in the room. That he had a bubble of space around him was not surprising though it was mildly…upsetting. Heero was quite capable of going unnoticed just about anywhere as long as he kept moving. He developed problems like his current one if he stayed in one place too long. What he was unaware of was that he had an aura around him that people instinctively picked up on. It was the same aura that would surround a crouched tiger, or in this world, a crouched ursaring or steelix. Needless to say, that was the cause of the space around him.

Time passed as it is wont to do, and the crowd in the Pokemon Center thinned until the only people and pokemon in the lobby were the ones too tired to get rooms and opted instead sleep on the couches. The only sounds in the room were the quite snores of the sleepers and the sound of two sets of keyboards being typed on. One was Heero working away on his laptop. The other was Nurse Joy finishing typing up the daily reports. With a few last clicks of the keyboard Nurse Joy got up, stretched and then headed to the back room. 

When she returned she was followed by none other than the pokemon that Heero had brought into the Center that morning. She motioned for the pokemon to stay by the desk, and then she strode over to Heero.

"Please come with me. This should only take a few minutes," she politely (and quietly) demanded.

Heero typed a little longer on the keyboard before he looked up at the nurse with the strange pink hair. He nodded and then, with the nurse waiting impatiently, proceeded to shut the computer down and pack it into his backpack. Once that was done he slung it onto his shoulders, grabbed his jean jacket, and followed her over to the front desk.

Once there, Nurse Joy faced the boy in front of her and let a tired smile appear on her face. "As you can see, the houndour you brought in is doing wonderfully. In fact he is once again completely fit. Let me tell you, it was touch and go there for a while. You were lucky. If this had happened even a year ago the recovery process would have taken days, and he might not have even made it."

The announcement just about floored Heero. The medical technology on this world far _far_ surpassed that of his own. He vaguely wondered why their space program seemed so far behind. The only hint he gave of his surprise though was a slight raising of his eyebrows. "That's good to hear," was his only comment.

"Well then," Nurse Joy moved around the counter and positioned herself at the computer, "let's get this guy registered to you. Can I have your pokedex please?"

Heero gave here a blank look.

"Oh dear, did you lose it? You see, I need your pokedex to manually register the houndour to you since you didn't capture him with a pokeball. Well, come on speak up."

His mind working furiously Heero came up with a plausible story. "My…pokedex was destroyed in an accident on the way here. I was unable to recover the remains."

Nurse Joy shook her head and tisked. "That's too bad. You have no idea how often that happens. You kids should be more careful, those things are valuable. Well, if you would just tell me your information I can make up a temporary trainer's license for you and register houndour to that. Just make sure to stop at the nearest pokemon professor's and pick up a new pokedex."

Heero wondered if there was any way out of this situation. Having a temporary license would be good because it would give him an ID; however, he didn't want to be saddled with the pokemon. "Can't you find it a home?"

Nurse Joy looked surprised. "You don't want it? That houndour looks like a good pokemon. Plus I think he wants to stay with you."

It did? Heero looked down at the houndour who throughout the conversation had inched closer and closer to him. It looked up at him with eyes that were both pleading and fearful. "Houndour." [Please].

Heero didn't understand, but he crouched down put his hand out to the pokemon. Houndour sniffed it and then began to wash the hand with its tongue and push his head into it demanding to be petted. It didn't seem that he had much of a choice. The pokemon had demonstrated its tenacity while it followed him earlier. Heero didn't think saying no now would stop the pokemon from following him again. He made his choice. "Fine." That said he got up from his crouch and faced Nurse Joy once again. The houndour leaned against his legs.

Nurse Joy's slightly worried look immediately brightened into a smile. "That's great! Now then, can I have your name please?"

"Heero Yuy."

That got typed into the computer. "Ok, your home city please."

"Celadon." It was easier to set up a false residence address in a big city.

That also got typed into the computer. "Ok now, it will just take a minute to check your information." A short time latter Nurse Joy was looking at the pertinent information that the computer came up with. One Heero Yuy lived on 124 Oak Pines lane. Apartment complex 3, apartment number 144. It gave the names of his parents: Sally and Odin Yuy. His age was 15, and he was a registered trainer. The only odd thing was that he had no pokemon registered to him. It was odd, but not too unusual. For multiple reasons some trainers started out when they were older and without pokemon. The most common reason being that they wanted their first pokemon to be one they captured on there own. While this wasn't encouraged neither was it against any rules. What Nurse Joy didn't know was that everything she read except for Heero's name and age existed only in the computer. One of the first things he had done after overcoming the coding problem was set up a false identity for himself. 

With a few more clicks of the keyboard, Nurse Joy registered the houndour to Heero. "Ok, before we finish I want to tell you a few things. First off, your houndour is male, and approximately two years old. He is a dark/fire type, just incase you didn't already know. Also the odd blue tinge to his bone cap and other external bones is nothing to worry about. It is very unusual. I have never seen anything like it, the external bones are always an off white or white. Still, I ran some tests and nothing came up. So, what are you going to name him? That's the last thing I need."

A name. Heero hadn't even considered a name for the pokemon. Through out his life names had been secondary. He himself never had a name until the war. The code name of Heero Yuy had been given to him right before he left for Earth. Still it was who he thought of himself as, and more importantly, it was whom the very few people he could trust thought of him as. Still, since names were such a small part of his growing up he wasn't very good at coming up with them. The names he choose for his parents for his identity here were people he had met and worked with in his own world. He supposed that he could name the pokemon similarly, but decided against it. 

Nurse Joy seemed to be able to tell that he was having some trouble. "You could just name him Houndour, a lot of trainers to that actually."

Heero stood there for a moment longer looking at the pokemon pressed against him, remembering how it had so relentlessly followed him through the city, and then he decided. "Tracker."

"Tracker?" Nurse Joy typed that into the computer at Heero's nod. "Ok, your all set. Here you go." She handed him what looked like a slim black plastic PDA. "It isn't as good as a pokedex, but all of your information, and your pokemon's information is on there. You can download information on any pokemon that you capture onto there from any computer terminal. It has limited storage space though and no preprogrammed pokemon, so I suggest you get a new pokedex as soon as possible."

Heero nodded. "Understood. How much?" 

Confused, Nurse Joy asked, "I don't understand. What do you mean?"

Heero blinked, and then decided to clarify. "What is the cost of the treatment and the ID?" 

"What?! Oh." Nurse Joy smiled, "Pokemon Centers provide treatment for free. The first temporary trainer's license is also free. Next time though, you'll have to pay a fee."

"Understood." Heero then turned to walk back to the computers.

Nurse Joy stopped him when she called out to him. "Wait!" He stopped and half-turned towards her. "You aren't going back to work on that laptop of yours are you?" At his nod she continued. "It's been a busy day so I can't be one hundred percent sure, but I don't think that you have had anything to eat since you got here. Why don't you go pick something out of the cafe? Selections limited this time of night, but you should be able to find something." 

Heero had to think for a moment. When _was_ the last time he had had anything to eat? Concluding that he had gone without food for three or four days, he strode over to the cafeteria, Tracker at his heals. After he ate, he should probably get some sleep too. He had been up for seventy-two hours strait now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At the edge of Viridian Forest a small campfire was just burning down to softly glowing embers. Those embers provided just enough light for Ash to look around the campsite at his companions. Everyone but him was soundly asleep. Brock was on one side of the fire, snuggled comfortably in his sleeping bag. Misty was a little ways off to the right in the same state as Brock. Togetic was curled up, fast a sleep as well, on top of Misty's sleeping bag. Of course Pikachu had his own sleeping bag, which was right next to Ash's. Ash would be in the same state as the rest but he still had some extra energy from the day lingering in his system.

Their day had been a good one. After they had left the Pokemon Center, they began their shopping spree. Ash wasn't certain, but he thought that they had visited half of the stores in Viridian. Because of their late start, they hadn't finished, even though they only gave up after most of the stores had shut down for the night. They were too far away to head back to Pokemon Center so they had stopped at a fast food place before they hiked the short distance to the woods to make camp. They only had a few more things left to get, so they would probably begin heading to Cerulean in the afternoon. It would be good to be on the road again. With that thought in mind, Ash too drifted off to sleep. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's notes: First off I want to say that I am sorry that it took me so long to get the second chapter out, and I want to thank everyone who reviewed. I am so glad that so many people are enjoying my story!!!!!! I really appreciate the comments that all of you made. Of course, I also want to thank Tempral Bouncer who was the beta reader for my first chapter. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a hold of him to beta this one. So, in case I can't get a hold of him for the next chapter, is there anyone else who would like to beta it for me? Thanks a lot!!


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